Pete’s Gourmet Confections

The only one of our selection to be certified kosher, Pete’s offers assorted “Originals,” undipped marshmallows, are made in Espresso, Lemon, Strawberry and Vanilla, plus chocolate-dipped and dipped-and-garnished with coconut. Vanilla Mini-Dips (mini-marshmallows) are available plain or chocolate coated. There’s also a Matzos Spectacular (available year-round)—matzos topped with vanilla marshmallow and caramel and dipped in our 54% semisweet chocolate. The regular marshmallow cubes are about 1-3/8 inches square by 3/4 inch tall. Without question, my pick here is the Espresso marshmallow. Although not especially dark in color, it packs a good hit of coffee flavor. The Strawberry, pink inside and outside, had some strawberry flavor; the pale yellow Lemon had a good amount of lemony taste. From my point of view, the Vanilla is somewhat lacking in vanilla flavor. A tender and delicate style. The Espresso is a favorite. Certified Eco-Kosher by Dreidel-K. The marshmallows are made with kosher gelatin; the company is developing a parve line made with agar. The company sells kosher-for-Passover products at AuntSadiesCandies.com. Photo of marshmallows courtesy of Pete’s Gourmet.

Plush Puffs

This magazine has previously reviewed Plush Puffs, but it was my first experience. The marshmallows are made in Caramel Swirl, Chocolate Chipetta, Key Lime Sublime, Kona Coffee Crunch, Maple Pecan, Peppi-Mint, RazzVeryBerry, Sydney’s Cinnamon, Toasted Coconut and Vanilla Bean. Seasonally, there is Pumpkin Spice. I tried two of the flavors, Chocolate Chipetta and Toasted Coconut. The cubes are approximately 1-1/4 inches by 1 inch by 1 inch. Mini chips scattered atop the Chocolate Chipetta marshmallow (shown in photo) provide a nice garnish. This is a light chocolate marshmallow with a darker exterior. The cocoa powder it is rolled in is a little less messy than others of this style. I got an odd, saltyish taste from these marshmallows (not found by the original NIBBLE taste team), though they’re of a good texture. These are very attractive marshmallows: The Toasted Coconut marshmallow also looks lovely, with thick shreds of toasted coconut atop. It has a very mild coconut flavor that seems to tone down the sweetness a bit. Although Plush Puffs describes these as “minis,” there don’t seem to be other sizes available. Halfway between delicate and chewier style. Read the full review of Plush Puffs, in which all the flavors were tasted.Photo courtesy of Plush Puffs.

Schwartz’s Out Of This World Chocolates

Old-fashioned, red-and-white checkered boxes open to reveal eight different flavors—at least if you order The Original Eight Assortment, as I did. Flavors include Banana, Chocolate, Coffee, Maple, Mint, Strawberry, Vanilla and Vanilla Caramel Bottom (yes, a thick layer of caramel under the marshmallow, as shown in the photo). There’s a flavor guide provided, fortunately, since all of these marshmallows are dipped in chocolate and look the same but for the type of identifying squiggle. The cubes are roughly 1-1/4 inches square and 1 inch tall, with a thin chocolate coating on the bottom, and thicker chocolate on the tops and sides. Most of these marshmallows are too aggressively colored and/or flavored for me, but I very much enjoyed the Crunchmallow, which has a chocolate-dipped square of English toffee as a base for a chocolate-covered marshmallow. With the crunch of the toffee, the soft marshmallow square and chocolate covering all surfaces, it’s a great combination of textures and flavors. Halfway between delicate and chewier in style. At present, you must call to order. Photo courtesy of Schwartz’s.